Head of Cleveland police union asks Kasich to suspend open carry laws during RNC

An elephant decorated for the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.
(Image credit: Dominick Reuter/AFP/Getty Images)

The head of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association said Sunday that open carry laws should be suspended in the city during the Republican National Convention.

Steven Loomis cited Sunday morning's shooting in Baton Rouge that left three police officers dead, but has previously been critical of open carry during the RNC. "This is not an attack on the Second Amendment," he told NBC News. "This is not an attack on the right to open carry. We believe it is a reasonable request to protect the safety of our folks."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.